LSU head football coach Brian Kelly predicted to have thin margin to avoid firing with Week 1 loss to Clemson

LSU head football coach Brian Kelly put in arguably more work this offseason than any other Power 4 headman with pressure to perform to avoid the hot seat. His transfer portal performance was said to be transformative for the SEC as a whole, and the Tigers return college football’s best returning quarterback, Garrett Nussmeier.

But if Kelly’s Tigers lose to Clemson in Week 1?

247 Sports’ Brad Crawford sent a harrowing message on what losing in the Tiger Bowl could possibly mean for the rest of the 2025 regular season.

And it’s not good for Kelly.

“‘Operation: Get LSU To The Playoff’ is Brian Kelly's only objective this fall. And he doesn't have to win the SEC to accomplish that goal. However, if the Tigers stub their toe against Clemson in another season-opening loss, the margin for error shrinks considerably,” Crawford wrote.

The margin of error for what is obvious. Kelly is entering his fourth year and hasn’t moved LSU closer to winning it all since making the SEC Championship Game in 2022. The 2025 schedule has landmines everywhere besides Clemson in the opener: Florida, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Alabama, and Oklahoma.

If the “Million Dollar Match Challenge” doesn’t yield successful results against that gauntlet? Spending money on losing doesn’t fly at major SEC institutions with similar winning expectations as big-market pro teams.

Crawford projects LSU to make the College Football Playoff, but let’s not forget most thought they’d be last year, too.

2025 is as do-or-die as it gets for Kelly.